Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Preferring nothing whatsoever to Christ because he preferred nothing whatsoever to us

Ultimate source unknown

"All Christ did, all he taught, was the will of God. Humility in our daily lives, an unwavering faith, a moral sense of modesty in conversation, justice in acts, mercy in deed, discipline, refusal to harm others, a readiness to suffer harm, peaceableness with our brothers, a wholehearted love of the Lord, loving in him what is of the Father, fearing him because he is God, preferring nothing to him who preferred nothing to us, clinging tenaciously to his love, standing by his cross with loyalty and courage whenever there is any conflict involving his honor and his name, manifesting in our speech the constancy of our profession and under torture confidence for the fight, and in dying the endurance for which we will be crowned—this is what it means to wish to be a coheir with Christ, to keep God’s command; this is what it means to do the will of the Father."

St. Cyprian of Carthage, De dominica oratione 15, trans. Liturgy of the hours. Latin from CSEL 3.1, ed. Hartel (1868), 277-278 (265-294). =CCSL 3A, ed. Moreschini (1976) =ed. Reveillaud (1964) =PL 4, col. 546 (537 ff.). There are many translations of this treatise into English. The header is based on the 2004 Popular patristics series translation by Stewart-Sykes.